Stay Out Of My Way!

This past Tuesday we were praying together as a staff. The guy leading the prayer (not me) came out with these words: "Lord, help us to stay near to you and help us to stay out of your way".

That struck me as funny for a second and I was trying to come up with a crack (there is a fair amount of good-natured abuse on our staff team) but then it hit me that it is a near-PERFECT statement.

It's critical for us to stay close to Jesus - listening to his heart, taking his direction, cultivating our knowledge of him and his ways so that we can serve and lead with maximum effectiveness and impact.

But it's equally critical that we get out of his way.

First, by not screwing up by importing our own agendas, habits, or strategic approaches instead of carrying out what HE has called us to do.

Second, by making sure that he and he alone gets all the credit for whatever good comes from our service.

It's all too easy to live this way: "Lord, stay close to us but get out of our way".

We need to be praying: "Lord, keep us close to you and help us to stay out of your way".

There's a world of difference in the two prayers.